Clinical Associate Professor
Assessment Coordinator
Principal Faculty
David Payne, MPAS, PA-C, is an accomplished clinician, educator, administrator, and creative technologist currently serving as the Assessment Coordinator and Clinical Associate Professor at Berry’s Physician Associate (PA) program. With a robust background in family medicine and graduate healthcare education, David brings a unique blend of clinical expertise and innovative technology integration to his role. He is dedicated to advancing healthcare education through cutting-edge methodologies and has a notable history of founding and leading successful graduate PA programs. David holds a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of St. Francis.
David’s extensive experience in higher education encompasses both academic and business perspectives. He has a proven track record of founding and developing dynamic graduate PA programs, including those at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, UT, and the University of Charleston in Charleston, WV. In these roles, David established student-centered cultures and innovative curricula that emphasize collaborative, patient-centered teamwork, early clinical experiential learning, and digital literacy. His leadership in these programs has resulted in high pass rates, minimal attrition, and outstanding reputations in the clinical community.
Ever striving to innovate in the higher education space, David has designed and implemented numerous custom solutions to enhance teaching, learning, and administrative functions. Examples of tools he has built include a program and policy management system, custom learning management system functionality, advisor alerting systems, and a learning objectives creation tool that allows faculty to design well-structured objectives that can be mapped to assessment items.
Education
- Graduate Certificate in Information Systems, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
- Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, University of St. Francis, Albuquerque, NM
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Pre-Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Teaching Interests
- Clinical Problem-Solving
- Evidence-Based Practice
- Digital and AI Literacy
- Principles of Family Medicine
- Core Biomedical Sciences
Research Interests
- Technology Integration in Education
- Innovative Curriculum Development
- AI-Augmented Information Systems
- Program Accreditation and Assessment
Field Experience
- Family Medicine PA (2005–2011)
Professional Associations
- Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA)
- American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA
- Georgia Association of Physician Assistants (GAPA)